Upon our arrival, we made our way from Vernazza station to our room, located on Via Roma. It was beautifully presented, clean with a window view of the beautiful green hills of Vernazza. We had lunch in a small bar called Lunch Box where we were able to choose what ingredients to put in our sandwich for €5. It's an extremely good idea if you have a lot planned ahead and not so much time to sit down at a restaurant.

Beautiful colours of Vernazza

Church of Santa Margherita di Vernazza

Having a limited amount of time, we wanted to make sure we made the most out of our day here, so we took a boat (tickets cost €5) over to Monterosso enjoying the incredible landscapes surrounding us. In Monterosso we walked through the Centro Storico visiting the Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista and L’Oratorio dei Confraternita Dei Neri. These to churches have the same beautiful gothic architecture that started during the XIII century. Many religious buildings followed a theme of black and white marble on the façade of the church

Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista

We returned to Vernazza by train. The train that connects the Cinque Terre is very quick and efficient. A ticket costs €4 each way but you can buy a Cinque Terre Card for €16 which allows you to travel unlimitedly by bus and train (discount applies). It gives you access to the national park, guided tours of the park, use of Wi-Fi and price reductions for certain museums (Amedeo Lia, Castello San Giorgio, CAMeC, Sigillo, Palazzina delle Arti, Etnografico, Diocesano)

We arrived in Vernazza around 8PM, we spotted a taverna called “Trattoria Da Piva” situated in Via Carattino, off Via Roma and decided to wait for a table there. We were told the specialty of the restaurant was their seafood risotto to share between two people, so of course we ordered that and it was truly amazing! Bursting with flavors I could have eaten the whole dish to myself. To accompany the risotto we ordered a bottle of white wine: Doc Cinque Terre, which complimented our risotto beautifully.

We were very lucky because on the 20th July, Vernazza celebrates the Festival of the Patron Saint Margherita di Antiochia. The festival starts off with a parade full of music and singing and then everyone gathers together in the main square to watch a display of fireworks. We headed up one of the main trails leading to Monterosso to try and get the best view. They were so magical, colourful and it was such a romantic experience to see them from such high up a mountain with a view of nothing but the sea.

After travelling all morning we decided to go to sleep early so that we would get up and make the most out of the day.

Stay tuned on Tuesday 30th August for Part 2 Featuring Portofino, Riomaggiore and Manarola.